Since this involved a lot of hard work and one gigantic fight before going (plus two FULL BLOWN fights during the trip), I think this blog post deserves to be written about, one day at a time (:
DAY 1:
We hired the services of Aruna Thilakasiri ( arunathilakasiri1974@gmail.com ) who I'd read about on FodorsTravel.
Since our flights were landing an hour apart, I slept off the Avomine at the
airport so we could exit together. It's an amazing feeling meeting your better
half in a foreign land, even though it's about two hours from Mumbai! Aruna
greeted us at the airport at 6.30am.
We were way too early for our first home stay in Negombo, called Negombo Villa 7. However, they were kind enough to let us settle in at 7.30am at no extra charge. Both of us desperately needed sleep - she, because she didn't sleep well on the flight, me, because I had to sleep off the remaining half Avomine. We were knocked cold till 9.30am and decided it was time to see Negombo + feed our growling tum tums.
We were way too early for our first home stay in Negombo, called Negombo Villa 7. However, they were kind enough to let us settle in at 7.30am at no extra charge. Both of us desperately needed sleep - she, because she didn't sleep well on the flight, me, because I had to sleep off the remaining half Avomine. We were knocked cold till 9.30am and decided it was time to see Negombo + feed our growling tum tums.
Aruna was patiently waiting for us with the batmobile. We
first headed off to see the famed Dutch Canal. First impressions? Not impressed
- reminded us of nallas in Mumbai. Okay, next! We were starving so we decided
to have an early 11.30am brunch. We went to a local joint opposite the Fish
Market and had our first taste of Sri Lankan Rice and Curry dishes, Deviled
Tuna Fish, and a Sri Lankan Pork dish (SKL 1300). T’was finger lickin good!
Belly full, we went to watch how fish were dried on the sand, how the fisher folk hook their nets and landed their catch in the nets. The fish market was an eye opener really, I mean mounds and mounds of crab, not to forget these huge squids. I touched a wiggly one.
If you love naryal paani (coconut water) in India, you must try their King Coconuts! Absolutely sweet. The Malaai or Korumba is not as fluffy as its Indian counterpart though (SKL 50-70). We stopped by St. Sylvester’s Church and did a photo op with a bunch of school kids and were debating how we were going to spend the rest of the evening + dinner agenda. Aruna told us about the famed Ministry of Crab in Colombo and since getting a reservation is next to impossible on the same day, we booked a table for our last day in Sri Lanka. More on that ahead.
Belly full, we went to watch how fish were dried on the sand, how the fisher folk hook their nets and landed their catch in the nets. The fish market was an eye opener really, I mean mounds and mounds of crab, not to forget these huge squids. I touched a wiggly one.
If you love naryal paani (coconut water) in India, you must try their King Coconuts! Absolutely sweet. The Malaai or Korumba is not as fluffy as its Indian counterpart though (SKL 50-70). We stopped by St. Sylvester’s Church and did a photo op with a bunch of school kids and were debating how we were going to spend the rest of the evening + dinner agenda. Aruna told us about the famed Ministry of Crab in Colombo and since getting a reservation is next to impossible on the same day, we booked a table for our last day in Sri Lanka. More on that ahead.
We decided to treat ourselves to a head, back and shoulder
massage at the Jasmin Villa Ayurveda Centre (SKL 1200). They served us soothing herbal tea and we
ended up buying those pouches for SKL 600 each. Now what? They dropped us back
to the hotel and we slept for another hour (yes, we are a sleepy lot) but woke up
more energised. With a head and body filled with oil (we were told to shower
after an hour which he didn't bother with) we decided to head to Negombo Beach for some beer, especially, Lion Beer.
Sri Lanka prides itself on its gemstones and the beach stretch has plenty to choose from. Since I own seven earrings in all (two have no pair, thanks to SMP), I stood while Miss Cotton got lost in her world of Peridots and Blue Sapphires (the national gem stone of SL). Before he became a guide, Aruna worked at a gem shop so she decided to purchase these green goblins from a recommended dealer in Kandy.
Walking on Negombo Beach got us hungry again and we saw a food cart selling these yummy looking wadas and insane crunchy crabs that you could eat with its shell on. Definitely a unique experience! We were still dry for a beer and found this joint called Serendib on Negombo Beach which, for me, served the best ‘finger-lickin’ pepper crabs I had eaten in a while. I mean seriously delicious stuff. We had Anchor Beer which was an okay second because the Lion Beer factory guys had some issues.
Aruna had bought himself a small bottle of Arak, the local drink to keep him warm for the night. We headed back to our homestay as we had an early start to our morning – 4.30am.
DAY 2:
Sri Lanka prides itself on its gemstones and the beach stretch has plenty to choose from. Since I own seven earrings in all (two have no pair, thanks to SMP), I stood while Miss Cotton got lost in her world of Peridots and Blue Sapphires (the national gem stone of SL). Before he became a guide, Aruna worked at a gem shop so she decided to purchase these green goblins from a recommended dealer in Kandy.
Walking on Negombo Beach got us hungry again and we saw a food cart selling these yummy looking wadas and insane crunchy crabs that you could eat with its shell on. Definitely a unique experience! We were still dry for a beer and found this joint called Serendib on Negombo Beach which, for me, served the best ‘finger-lickin’ pepper crabs I had eaten in a while. I mean seriously delicious stuff. We had Anchor Beer which was an okay second because the Lion Beer factory guys had some issues.
Aruna had bought himself a small bottle of Arak, the local drink to keep him warm for the night. We headed back to our homestay as we had an early start to our morning – 4.30am.
DAY 2:
Negombo Villa 7 were very hospitable and their housekeeping boy, Theekshana packed us a filling breakfast with juice for our long drive to Sigiriya Rock. Enroute we stopped at a small shop and had this bread / roti which tasted like pita bread to me + chai. Took a photo with two lovely SL ladies and started once again on our journey. I decided not to pop an Avomine since it was a straight road but made sure I kept sleeping off and on, just in case. We reached the base of Sigiriya Rock (SKL 2130 – SAARC Country price) and after getting our tickets started our climb at 7.35am. I recommend doing the climb on a weekday rather than a weekend or even starting early, as there’s lesser traffic on these narrow stair routes. Sigiriya means Lion’s Rock and while it was designed in the form of a huge stone Lion, the mouth area has faded over time, but the Lion’s claws are very much intact.
We had a number of foreigners who began their ascent with us. I saw this sweetheart of a puppy – so playful and a flea bag – but you can’t just walk away from cuteness, if you know what I mean. At a particular point we saw a snake slithering around and watching us walk by. I found the climb to be a beginner level hike which shouldn’t take a seasoned person more than an hour and a half – including taking the view in at the summit.
It’s a beautiful hike and view of Sigiriya city. I saw swallows after a long time close to the boulders flying in and out and making a welcome cacophony. Was interesting to watch senior foreigners being supported by locals (I’m not sure if they were guides) to make the climb. I did my standard jump shots and we spent a good 10 minutes staring at the beauty that encompasses this gorgeous view. We reached the base by 10.15am and headed to Dambulla Caves which was a half hour away. Washrooms are a bit of a sticky issue with Miss Cotton and me – both of us have OCD for clean toilets. Surprisingly, Sri Lanka charges a steep SKL 100 in quite a few spots! The free toilets, we avoided.
I think stopping by Dambulla Caves is a must for culture buffs as all five sanctuaries are
well preserved. Also popularly known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla. You can
see the biggest statue in the world of the Buddha in the Dharmachakra position.
Something unique and worth witnessing are the statues of Buddha’s 80 followers
heading towards him in this posture. Again, an easy climb to the caves, but
beware of these local red monkeys or Macaques – they snatch any food item in
your hand and are quite scary. Once we reached the mouth of the caves, we had
to pay SKL 50 to have our shoes looked after.
There are 153 Buddha statues in different positions, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of Gods and Goddesses. The latter include Vishnu and the Ganesha (Source: Wiki). A mistake I made was asking Candy to pose in front of a Buddha for which I got reprimanded for. A Chinese tourist enlightened me that one must never take a selfie / photograph with the Buddha as we have not walked in his shoes and do not possess the same knowledge or enlightenment as him. In short, you disrespect him and all his divine achievements with your back against him. Interesting point. On our way down we had cut raw mangoes with chili powder and salt masala which was really refreshing.
Starving, we headed to Bentota Bakehouse and had a very average meal. It’s a popular chain of restaurant but we didn’t enjoy the food much. Up next was our drive to Kandy and we had booked a homestay at Aruna’s Home. I was quite excited to meet his family. He’d asked me to get saris for his wife, which I did so wanted to see if she’d like it. Point to note, my mum bought them, since I have zero knowledge about these outfits. We reached his place by 3pm and were greeted by his wife, daughter, mum and dad. He has a lovely, homely house, with a garden and we were given the guest chambers on the first floor. His wife made us a cup of milk tea (I’d been craving one desperately) and offered us these divine milk biscuits. I wish I’d bought some to take home. Forgot. I gifted her the saris which she said she liked so quite happy about that.
There are 153 Buddha statues in different positions, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of Gods and Goddesses. The latter include Vishnu and the Ganesha (Source: Wiki). A mistake I made was asking Candy to pose in front of a Buddha for which I got reprimanded for. A Chinese tourist enlightened me that one must never take a selfie / photograph with the Buddha as we have not walked in his shoes and do not possess the same knowledge or enlightenment as him. In short, you disrespect him and all his divine achievements with your back against him. Interesting point. On our way down we had cut raw mangoes with chili powder and salt masala which was really refreshing.
Starving, we headed to Bentota Bakehouse and had a very average meal. It’s a popular chain of restaurant but we didn’t enjoy the food much. Up next was our drive to Kandy and we had booked a homestay at Aruna’s Home. I was quite excited to meet his family. He’d asked me to get saris for his wife, which I did so wanted to see if she’d like it. Point to note, my mum bought them, since I have zero knowledge about these outfits. We reached his place by 3pm and were greeted by his wife, daughter, mum and dad. He has a lovely, homely house, with a garden and we were given the guest chambers on the first floor. His wife made us a cup of milk tea (I’d been craving one desperately) and offered us these divine milk biscuits. I wish I’d bought some to take home. Forgot. I gifted her the saris which she said she liked so quite happy about that.
After a quick cold shower (because I forgot to switch on
the geyser) we headed to watch a traditional Kandyan Dance at the Oak Ray Hotel. For SKL 1000, we attended a one hour show which began at
4.30pm sharp and included performances such as Magul Bera (ceremonial Drums),
Puja Natuma (Puja Dance), Raban (Tambourine), Naga Gurulu (Snake and a mythical
Gurulu), Pantheru Neatuma, Salupaliya, Mayura Natuma (Peacock dance), the drum
orchestra and the Ves Natuma – the most important of the Kandyan dance
performances. At 5.30 we were invited outside the hotel to watch the fire
walking and Gini Sisila (fire dance) show. It was highly engrossing and
electrifying. We offered SKL 200 as a tip to one of the performers – which is
considered polite. I’d like to add here that Miss Cotton was invited by one of
the Rakshaks to be his muse during one of the performances. The lucky duck!
We headed back to Aruna’s Home to relax. In the evening he offered to take us next door and visit the Buddhist nunnery which was in the good hands of a 90 year old nun. This was a school for Buddhist nuns that he had gifted his property too. Aruna was telling us about his close connection to this lady and they both believe she was his mother in an earlier reincarnation – hence the close bond. We offered SKL 1000 offering as a donation.
Back home, his wife was cooking us rice and curry which involved a lot of different dishes and spices. They still use firewood to cook certain items. That took me down memory lane of how as kids Saumya, Payal, Preeti and I wanted to cook rice on a fire and we spent about 2-3 hours trying to cook it in the garden and it was still kaccha and we were very upset and disappointed and went home hungry – luckily we were given lunch and told not to try these stunts again. T’was great fun though!
We headed back to Aruna’s Home to relax. In the evening he offered to take us next door and visit the Buddhist nunnery which was in the good hands of a 90 year old nun. This was a school for Buddhist nuns that he had gifted his property too. Aruna was telling us about his close connection to this lady and they both believe she was his mother in an earlier reincarnation – hence the close bond. We offered SKL 1000 offering as a donation.
Back home, his wife was cooking us rice and curry which involved a lot of different dishes and spices. They still use firewood to cook certain items. That took me down memory lane of how as kids Saumya, Payal, Preeti and I wanted to cook rice on a fire and we spent about 2-3 hours trying to cook it in the garden and it was still kaccha and we were very upset and disappointed and went home hungry – luckily we were given lunch and told not to try these stunts again. T’was great fun though!
We ended the night with some beers and a lovely homemade
Sri Lankan feast + local dessert delicacy of Buffalo curd and honey and crashed
by about 11.30pm.
Day 3:
I offered to make breakfast in the morning to which Miss
Cotton made it clear she’d be coming down to feed her face and that’s about all
the support I was gonna get. Heh. No biggie. I hadn’t cooked a single thing in
five months of being back to Mumbai so was quite excited to be making scrambled
eggs for 14 people. It turned out a little salty but overall – I assume because
it got over, it turned out nice. His wife made us a couple of fresh juices and
we again had a heavy breakfast.
The kids were busy playing and asked me to join them. So I showed them different plank exercises since they are very athletic prone, they had a guitar and keyboard so I spent time playing some music for them, and they showed me their version of the card game Uno – which wasn’t making sense to me at all. After sometime I gave up trying to understand what was happening.
The kids were busy playing and asked me to join them. So I showed them different plank exercises since they are very athletic prone, they had a guitar and keyboard so I spent time playing some music for them, and they showed me their version of the card game Uno – which wasn’t making sense to me at all. After sometime I gave up trying to understand what was happening.
Once we got done with the packing, we took a photo with
the whole family and headed off to Kandy city. Spent 15 minutes doing a bit of
photography around the Bogambara Lake or Kandy Lake. We felt that the Temple of
the Tooth or Sri Dalada Maligawa
was a bit off a rip off to charge us SKL 700 each to visit the temple (the
price has gone up to SKL 1000 for SAARC visitors now) + we paid SKL 100 to keep
our shoes. As the name suggests, this temple houses the relic tooth of the
Buddha that was brought to Sri Lanka by an Indian king to protect it from being
destroyed by another Indian king. It’s been moved quite a few times. The
feeling inside the temple was prayerful but a little noisy – yet a lot of
devotion in this place. Crowded though. All Sri Lankans who visit temples are
expected to wear white or light coloured clothes and be covered. Black is a
strict faux pas. Saw a few foreigners in shorts wrapping shawls as sarongs.
Caps need to be removed.
We then headed to see the tallest Buddha in the world in
the Samidhi position (SKL 200 each) which was unfortunately locked at the very
top. It showed us a lovely view of Kandy city though. We learned to say
“Ayubovan” which means “May you have a long life.” After sharing a King
coconut, Aruna took us to his friend’s house who was a wholesale gems dealer.
We got a decent rate to be honest, Miss Cotton picked up four Peridots and I
got Piggy a Tourmaline stone. Saw the Mahaweli River, longest river which runs throughout the country while exiting Kandy.
We decided to grab lunch and then take off for Nuwara Eliya. The river Mahavalle, which is their longest river, flows through throughout the city. I also fell in love with three cars – the Honda Prius, the Honda Fit and the Toyota Hybrid. Wish they sold those cars in India. We had our first taste of the Kothu dish and found it filling and nice. Out here is when Miss Cotton came out with her first Candyism that I started recording: I need my meats more than sweets.
This small roadside joint charged us a steep SKL 1800 for our meal which we didn’t realise was too much until much later on in the trip. I also finally tasted Watalappam dessert made from coconut milk, cashew nuts, egg, jaggery and well, interesting, I must say.
We decided to grab lunch and then take off for Nuwara Eliya. The river Mahavalle, which is their longest river, flows through throughout the city. I also fell in love with three cars – the Honda Prius, the Honda Fit and the Toyota Hybrid. Wish they sold those cars in India. We had our first taste of the Kothu dish and found it filling and nice. Out here is when Miss Cotton came out with her first Candyism that I started recording: I need my meats more than sweets.
This small roadside joint charged us a steep SKL 1800 for our meal which we didn’t realise was too much until much later on in the trip. I also finally tasted Watalappam dessert made from coconut milk, cashew nuts, egg, jaggery and well, interesting, I must say.
I had to pop an Avomine as the route to Nuwara Eliya was not paved with good intentions. Quite sad to have missed a lot of the scenery because of sleep but we finally reached Mackwoods Tea Factory at 5.15pm. It had started drizzling a bit and it was a little nippy but manageable. We went on a tour to understand how their tea leaves are picked, processed, packed and shipped out – unfortunate that they don’t show any of the processes. Highlight also was meeting two SL cops with a very cool looking bike. They kindly consented us to posing with them as long as it didn't go on FB. Lol. Mackwoods serves these delicious chocolate cakes and milk tea (refreshing). Their tea packets are quite steep so we bought just one packet of ginger tea each (SKL 800).
Our destination at Nuwara Eliya was Heidi’s Homestay which Miss Cotton’s friend had recommended. I wasn’t disappointed, except may be for the faulty hot water. We had two comfy double beds and the décor within was very artistic and bright – I loved it! After showering and changing we headed to Grand Hotel to have dinner.
The property is akin to a 5 star and it’s definitely worth a visit. For dinner, we had Bath Rasa Vyanjana, a traditional hill country yellow rice with a veg curry. Dessert was called Misty Hills which was a collection of three homemade ice creams with chilled crumble and toppings. We finally also got to taste Lion Beer, available in a can only – and it was a fitting chilling end to our evening as we headed back to Heidi’s home and retired by 10.30pm.
Day 4:
Heidi’s owner, Chaminda gave us our breakfast for the morning the night before (ideally, it should have been given in the morning for freshness sake. We woke at 4.30am and were out the door at 5am. Popped half a pill this time since it wasn’t a long route but yet a windy one. It was a chilly and damp day and I was glad of my Nepali hoodie (thanks PwC CR team!). Miss Cotton was a little more tolerant of the weather and the jacket kept coming off – I prefer snugness and warmth to the cold.
We reached Horton Plains National Park at about quarter to seven and stood in line to get our tickets (SKL 3000 SAARC country price). At 7.35 we were at the entrance to the park and this beautiful Stag was standing around waiting for people to feed him some scraps and also for a photo op. He bowed to me and I did the same! We both tried being brave enough to go close and get a couple of snaps but you gotta be careful of them antlers.
One of my favourite bits of this trip is when we reached the left or right Y turnoff point and we decided to follow these three Chinese tourists and took a right. We were strolling along and suddenly the Chinese people disappeared from view. We had walked quite a bit from the Y point and looked back to see two Americans opting to take the left turn. We both started grumbling: Why did we follow the Chinese!!! We have Indians and Chinese who are on one route. Have you heard of people coming to look for five missing people from the two largest populated countries in the world? They can afford to lose a few people. But if the Americans went missing, there'd be war! If the second last Commandment says do not Covet Thy Neighbour's Wife, there should a sub section which reads: And never follow your neighbours!
The hike also had a lot of movie connotations throughout the trip - From thinking about Jack Sparrow i.e. because of World's End, to spotting this lonely withered bare tree which reminded me of Sleepy Hollow, to walking through a subdued and desolate moor like environment mid way - straight out of the Hound of the Baskervilles - really gave me the chills. True story.
Our goal was to finish the 9.5km YNP hike which included World’s End (a sheer cliff, with a drop of about 4000 feet or 1200m), Baker’s Falls and Mini World’s End by about 10am. The weather was perfect for a slow hike (13 degrees), no traffic along the route, well maintained trail so we didn’t get lost, clear directions, strategic peeing due to out of control bladder… yep, excellent! You know, in my head, World’s End literally meant the End of the World! It disappointed me a little due to my unrealistic expectation. There are two unfrequented Trails at the start of Horton Plains too. These trails lead up to the Peaks of Totupolakanda and Kirigalpoththa (difficulty level – medium as per visitor centre info display).
Sri Lanka has some really pretty birds – the likes of which I’ve never seen in India. Was aching to sit and focus on bird watching but alas, no time. We got back out in time to grab a hot cup of tea and these delicious spicy onions in a bread roll (one slipped outta my hand and landed straight in the dustbin – what are the odds!).
An early brunch was called for. Aruna took us to Calamander Lake Gregory which had a dining area. Our lesson from this trip was we should have done more research around places to eat the kind of food we prefer. I don’t think Aruna was able to understand what kind of food we wanted since he catered mostly to foreigners. We ordered Rice and Chicken curry with Devilled Fish and teamed it with a Fresh Fruit Salad with homemade ice cream (slurrrp)! We had a lovely view of Gregory Lake which had people doing some water sports activities. Miss Cotton was in aches and pains and pitched a full body massage which I was game for too since we had the whole afternoon. Aruna made some quick calls and got a sweet deal at this place called Sahasthra (spelt and pronounced something like that). We spent SKL 2750 for an hour body massage and 20 minutes steam. Divine. The steam room has an amazing story which can never EVER be told, or maybe on a drunken night – what say, Miss Cotton?
It was touching 6pm when we reached Heidi’s. We had informed them the previous night that we’d be dining with them at 8pm. Menu was a home cooked Rice and Chicken Curry meal with about six vegetable dishes. Chaminda’s daughter is such a bright eyed, well-spoken, lively imp – Heidi, the place is named after her. She was the first child we found in SL who spoke excellent English and was adept at interacting and keeping the guests entertained while her folks got the meal ready. They also had a lovely Persian cat, Bella, who as far as I could tell, didn’t like being held or petted. Hehe.
Anyway, once the dishes kept coming, we forgot about everything and concentrated solely on our meal (SKL 850 non veg, SKL 750 veg). We cleaned the plates (almost, I had some leftovers), cleared our homestay bill, collected our breakfast for the next morning and bid them adieu. We’d bought two Anchor Beers for the room (I spilled mine) and played Uno (lost game after game). After dishing out advice and getting advice dished out, the conversations went on till 11pm till we started dozing off. Did I mention I broke a flower pot and dropped a cup of tea as well the same day? Butterfingers strikes again!
Heidi’s owner, Chaminda gave us our breakfast for the morning the night before (ideally, it should have been given in the morning for freshness sake. We woke at 4.30am and were out the door at 5am. Popped half a pill this time since it wasn’t a long route but yet a windy one. It was a chilly and damp day and I was glad of my Nepali hoodie (thanks PwC CR team!). Miss Cotton was a little more tolerant of the weather and the jacket kept coming off – I prefer snugness and warmth to the cold.
We reached Horton Plains National Park at about quarter to seven and stood in line to get our tickets (SKL 3000 SAARC country price). At 7.35 we were at the entrance to the park and this beautiful Stag was standing around waiting for people to feed him some scraps and also for a photo op. He bowed to me and I did the same! We both tried being brave enough to go close and get a couple of snaps but you gotta be careful of them antlers.
One of my favourite bits of this trip is when we reached the left or right Y turnoff point and we decided to follow these three Chinese tourists and took a right. We were strolling along and suddenly the Chinese people disappeared from view. We had walked quite a bit from the Y point and looked back to see two Americans opting to take the left turn. We both started grumbling: Why did we follow the Chinese!!! We have Indians and Chinese who are on one route. Have you heard of people coming to look for five missing people from the two largest populated countries in the world? They can afford to lose a few people. But if the Americans went missing, there'd be war! If the second last Commandment says do not Covet Thy Neighbour's Wife, there should a sub section which reads: And never follow your neighbours!
The hike also had a lot of movie connotations throughout the trip - From thinking about Jack Sparrow i.e. because of World's End, to spotting this lonely withered bare tree which reminded me of Sleepy Hollow, to walking through a subdued and desolate moor like environment mid way - straight out of the Hound of the Baskervilles - really gave me the chills. True story.
Our goal was to finish the 9.5km YNP hike which included World’s End (a sheer cliff, with a drop of about 4000 feet or 1200m), Baker’s Falls and Mini World’s End by about 10am. The weather was perfect for a slow hike (13 degrees), no traffic along the route, well maintained trail so we didn’t get lost, clear directions, strategic peeing due to out of control bladder… yep, excellent! You know, in my head, World’s End literally meant the End of the World! It disappointed me a little due to my unrealistic expectation. There are two unfrequented Trails at the start of Horton Plains too. These trails lead up to the Peaks of Totupolakanda and Kirigalpoththa (difficulty level – medium as per visitor centre info display).
Sri Lanka has some really pretty birds – the likes of which I’ve never seen in India. Was aching to sit and focus on bird watching but alas, no time. We got back out in time to grab a hot cup of tea and these delicious spicy onions in a bread roll (one slipped outta my hand and landed straight in the dustbin – what are the odds!).
An early brunch was called for. Aruna took us to Calamander Lake Gregory which had a dining area. Our lesson from this trip was we should have done more research around places to eat the kind of food we prefer. I don’t think Aruna was able to understand what kind of food we wanted since he catered mostly to foreigners. We ordered Rice and Chicken curry with Devilled Fish and teamed it with a Fresh Fruit Salad with homemade ice cream (slurrrp)! We had a lovely view of Gregory Lake which had people doing some water sports activities. Miss Cotton was in aches and pains and pitched a full body massage which I was game for too since we had the whole afternoon. Aruna made some quick calls and got a sweet deal at this place called Sahasthra (spelt and pronounced something like that). We spent SKL 2750 for an hour body massage and 20 minutes steam. Divine. The steam room has an amazing story which can never EVER be told, or maybe on a drunken night – what say, Miss Cotton?
It was touching 6pm when we reached Heidi’s. We had informed them the previous night that we’d be dining with them at 8pm. Menu was a home cooked Rice and Chicken Curry meal with about six vegetable dishes. Chaminda’s daughter is such a bright eyed, well-spoken, lively imp – Heidi, the place is named after her. She was the first child we found in SL who spoke excellent English and was adept at interacting and keeping the guests entertained while her folks got the meal ready. They also had a lovely Persian cat, Bella, who as far as I could tell, didn’t like being held or petted. Hehe.
Anyway, once the dishes kept coming, we forgot about everything and concentrated solely on our meal (SKL 850 non veg, SKL 750 veg). We cleaned the plates (almost, I had some leftovers), cleared our homestay bill, collected our breakfast for the next morning and bid them adieu. We’d bought two Anchor Beers for the room (I spilled mine) and played Uno (lost game after game). After dishing out advice and getting advice dished out, the conversations went on till 11pm till we started dozing off. Did I mention I broke a flower pot and dropped a cup of tea as well the same day? Butterfingers strikes again!
